Heads Up! MTN to start giving flash SMS notifications on bundle usage
From 3rd April ,2018, MTN Subscribers will be receiving flash notifications on their data bundle usage! This article has been updated to reflect the nature of the flash notification.
MTN Ghana has come under pressure in recent times over how “quickly” their bundle disappears. Last week, a friend told me how her 2GB of data just vanished in a day.
Well, personally, I don’t believe data can just vanish, except in some rare scenarios where there have been genuine mistakes from telcos (some of which never really get solved), the secret to how fast your data is consumed lies in your browsing habits. We shared tips on how to prevent some apps from using all your data.
For example, I asked this friend to check her data usage to see which apps were actually responsible for her loss. The result – WhatsApp had used over 2GB in just a few days.
Since the introduction of the status feature, WhatsApp has been consuming a lot of data and lots of people don’t even realise. The truth is that a video status lasting for 30 seconds is averagely 20MB per the videos I post on my status. Watching just 5 of these videos will set you back around 100MB.
Why all this explanation when we are talking about flash notification on bundle usage?
Well, for starters, before this, MTN does not give indications as to when your bundle is getting finished. Networks like Vodafone and the then Airtel (now AirtelTigo) inform you when your bundle is being used. There are notifications for 50% usage, 90% usage, etc so you have a fair idea how much data you have remaining.
These notifications help to keep a subscriber in check, hence the good news that MTN will send Class 0 Messages on bundle usage. A few people will ask: ‘What are flash notifications or Class 0 messages?”.
What is a Flash SMS Notification?
A message that appears on the recipient’s mobile screen directly. The recipient does not need to go to the mobile phone inbox to read the message, nor is the message allocated to the SMS inbox. Flash SMS is a Value Added Service feature to the standard SMS delivery and is most commonly used to immediately catch the recipients’ attention. Flash SMS Notification is also known as a Class 0 Message, mostly on Apple Devices.
On the MTN Network, a typical example of an SMS Flash Notification is the call summary that one receives at the end of every call, detailing the call cost and duration.
MTN Flash SMS Notification on Bundle Usage
Although MTN has said that the feature will be active starting 3rd April, there is no real guideline as to how often notifications will roll out.
Some users were, however, less than enthused about the feature.
Update:
The most recent message from MTN Ghana’s Facebook Page indicates that users will be able to reply with 1 to renew their bundle OR 2 to approve charging from their main account.
The message read: “Y’ello! Please be informed that from 3rd April, 2018 you will be receiving prompts on your bundle usage. Kindly reply with 1 to renew your bundle OR 2 to approve charging from main account.”.
However, it there is still the problem of notifications for those who use their mifi or devices that can not receive flash.
What do you think about the feature? Will getting notifications as you use your bundle help you to properly manage and check your usage?
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